Dataset as data structure?

B

Bloodstein

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Jul 1, 2003
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Hi,

I'm coding in vb.net and am wondering if it is possible to use a dataset containing multiple tables as a data structure. I've got a really complicated data structure (basically a tree) that could very easily be represented with tables and relationshipts (entity-relationship diagram) in a relational database sort of structure.

I've actually progressed pretty far with using this complex data structure i created. Before diving into datasets, I'd like to get some opinion on this. Hows the performance when it comes to sorting/searching the dataset? What's the learning curve involved with datasets? (I've never done anything with datasets)

Thanks
 
I would hesitate to call a tree a "really complicated data structure" and would think that you'd be better off keeping with your tree than a dataset if your main concern is performance. Now I've never had performance issues with a Dataset but in my apps so far no significant wait == no performance problems. But if my primary concern was performance, and not deadline, then I'd go with a custom data structure made specifically for the job.

Instead of doing your own have you considered just grabbing one of the various well-documented Tree structures (AVL, BTree, BST, Red-Black, etc.) and porting it to VB.NET?
 
Yeah, maybe by using "grab" I made it sound a bit easier than it is. Any 2nd year CS textbook will describe them. You can search the web but I doubt you'll find in a single place what the pros/cons of each are (ie. some are optimized for searching others for insertion, etc).
 
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